Blue Riband

No not the biscuit !  This card started life as a 5 x 5 inch white square card base.  I used some Washi tapes to decorate in vertical and horizontal stripes as shown.

The rosette was diecut from some heavy printed paper using a Sizzix die and made up, finishing with a blue brad. This was added along with two diecut leaves using hot glue.

The sentiment (Papertrey Ink) was stamped on white card with Versafine black ink, trimmed and applied on foam pads to finish.

Nice and bright whilst still being simple !

Sid xx

Pin It

Spring Colours PC

I used some Sizzix stamps paired with dies to produce this postcard.  Each month over on the UK Stampers Forum we have a postcard swap and this is mine for March.  The theme this time is Spring Colours.  It's free to join the forum and there are a number of swaps going on in which you may want to join in on.  It's a relatively small  and friendly community but you are all welcome to come onboard.

I used a hessian effect background paper to cover a white card blank measuring 6 x 4 inches.  Then set about stamping the images in various Brilliance inks which have an opalescent shimmer.  I then die-cut them through the Sizzix and used a Micron black pen to edge them.  I stuck them in place on the card base and added stems in green Sakura pen.  Final touches were to add the sentiment stamped directly in Memento black ink and then I sprayed the card with some matt acrylic sealer to protect it through the postal system as it goes 'naked', i.e without an envelope to it's recipient.

Sid xx

Pin It

Spicy Little Man !

This is my postcard for the UKStampers forum swap for November.  I started with some red card cut to 6 x 4 inches and stamped with a Lawn Fawn script stamp the words 'Merry Christmas' in Versamark ink.  I then used detail white embossing powder and heat set with a heat gun.

The gingerbread man was then diecut out of Kraft card with a Sizzix die through the BigShot.  I embellished his arms and legs with white card trimmed into strips with a pair of pinking shears and backed his eyes and mouth with a bit of scrap black card.

I used black and white Posca pens to decorate his eyes and add buttons and cut out a dickie bow in green patterned paper and adhered as shown.

I then edged the card with gold Krylon Pen and sprayed the completed card with matt acrylic lacquer to protect it through the post.

Hope the recipient likes him !

Sid xx

Pin It

Someone Special !

A very pink card today !!  Wind is blowing hard outside as I finish this.  The peppermint green card base is 6 x 6 inches and has been matted with some pretty pearlescent print paper.

The chipboard frame was cut using a frames mover and shaper die from TH Sizzix.  This was heat embossed using a Versamark inkpad and a couple of coats of Blond Moments spring tropic lustre embossing powder (this has a fab pearlescent gold overtone, not easy to photograph!).  I have then stamped into it whilst molten with a rubber stamp coated with more Versamark to act as a release.  This has added some texture too !

The frame was stuck in place as shown and the paper flowers in shades of pink towards maroon added at each of two opposite sides of the frame.  The centres have been highlighted with dark brown dimensional pearls.

The dotty embellishments were made on a craft sheet by squeezing dots of Glossy Accents which were then loaded with TuTu Beadazzles and allowed to dry.  Once dry they were peeled off the craft sheet and applied as shown.  I thought they looked very much like the coated jelly's in Liquorice Allsorts !

The pink paper ribbon on the left was embellished with dots of worn lipstick Distress Stickles and stuck in place.

The sentiment was stamped on pink card in Archival sepia ink and edged with the same ink before trimming out and mounting in place with foam pads.  The maroon ribbon bow was added on a foam pad to finish.

Sid xx

Pin It

Embrace The Day

This weeks Less Is More challenge for week 183 is a colour challenge so I have made a 6 x 6 inch card which I think meets the requirements.

Those colours look so refreshing ! The card base is grey bazzill card trimmed and scored to the correct size.

I have then used a Sizzix die to cut the leaves and flowers in the various colours again from Bazzill card.

Once cut the elements were embossed with a Tim Holtz embossing folder with a grungy spot theme.  They were then arranged and stuck in place.

I finished off the centre of the flower with a self adhesive pearl coloured with lime green alcohol ink.

Finishing touch was to stamp the sentiment in black Archival Ink as shown.  This means that it could be suitable for any occasion.

Sid xx

Pin It

Upcycling ...........

This simple card is made using a 4.5 x 4.5 inch white card blank adorned with a upcycled bookpage flower made using the TH tattered flowers die.  The petals have been coloured with Dylusions sprays in lime and yellow and overstamped with red Memento ink and a TH stamp.

I have added a star brad which started life pink but was recoloured with a red copic marker, to hold the petal layers together and the flower is held down with sticky dots.

The red strip is Washi tape and the sentiment (inked with black Archival Ink) is another TH stamp.

Think this fits the bill for the 'Less Is More' Challenge blog week 178 where we are to use something recycled.

Sid xx

Pin It

Little Boxes

 

Here wishing everyone a fab Bank Holiday weekend.  Nice to have a little more time to do what we want to rather than what we have to !

Here are a few little boxes I have made with a Sizzix box die.

I have also used a mover and shaper die to cut a keyhole in the top of one of them.  They have simply been decorated with printed papers and bits of ribbon. Loads of potential uses for these.

Have fun !

Sid xx

Pin It

Blocky Flowers

Happy flowers to everyone, especially when it's their birthday.  This birthday card was made on a Kraft card square card base. The papers were assembled as shown and the base layer was sewn with white thread.

The remaining layers were stamped and cut with a set of Sizzix dies and Distress Inks.  They were layered and embellished with some coloured pearls. A couple of birdies were also stamped and die cut  and applied.

The sentiment plate was stamped and layered and applied on foam pads.

Sid xx

Pin It

Mums Card & Box

Happy Mothers Day to you all and especially to my own Mum !!

This is my Mum's card & gift for this Mothers Day.  The card was made using some digi papers cut into equal sized blocks and mounted as shown.

The two layered plates were made using a Sizzix die, one on blue card and one on white.  Both were applied on foam pads to raise them.  The sentiment was stamped in Archival black ink. Finishing touch was to add a paper flower on a sticky dot.

The box was made using another large matchbox Sizzix die.  This was cut out, assembled and covered in panels of similar papers.  The bow was added to finish.

Hope she likes it ........... guess what's in the box !

Sid xx

Pin It

A Smiley Pear

Here is a little card I made using some digi papers from Cosmo Cricket, some diecuts and a bit of stamping and spraying.

The background was printed, trimmed and stuck in place.  I used dies to cut the two oval mats. One in Brown and one with a pear design.  These were layered directly onto the card.

The pear stamp (A Stamp In The Hand) was stamped in Archival sepia ink and trimmed out, then coloured with a lime green alcohol ink pen.  This was mounted on foam pads.  The flower was made from printed cardstock which was die-cut using my Cricut and once assembled was sprayed with Green Dylusions spray.  This was stuck in place at the top of the card.

The mini tag was diecut and stamped with Papertrey Inc stamps and dies.  This was also mounted on foam pads after applying a brad. before colouring with the lime green alcohol ink pen.

The two flourishes were also die cut with a Sizzix die and stuck in place as shown.  Because of the dimension of the flower the card will be packed into a box.  I have entered this into the Simon Says Challenge too !

Sid xx

Pin It

Hot Adoration

 

She does look a little hot and is being fanned to cool her down ............... hence the title !

Here is an sandwich board card I made where the inside picture hangs and swings freely between the front and back of the card. The base is Kraft and the inside has been trimmed down with the top die-cut with a sizzix border die. This has been passed through an aperture cut with a craft knife at the top of the card.

The front and inside is decorated with papers from Pion and the front panel was trimmed and the paper applied before passing through the sizzix with a Nestie die to make the aperture.

The 'adore' stamp is from Papertrey and the pink velvet ribbon has been threaded through some rose pink eyelets and tied in a bow.  The HOT is rub-ons.  The butterfly has been held in place with a rose brad.  Some pink Stickles glitter glue has been added to finish the card.

Sid xx

Pin It

Four Square Inchies

This box started its life as a Selfridges gift card presentation box, covered in shiny black paper.  I have decorated the top of the box with a set of digi inchies from ArtChix studio which I have trimmed and adhered with Glossy Accents to the top and sides.  I had to halve the inchies on the sides.

I then infilled between the inchies with red Stickles glitter glue and allowed to dry.

Finally the lid was embellished with three flowers made out of die cut book pages made with a Bigz Sizzix die.  I have edged the flowers with red alcohol ink and stuck them together and to the lid with sticky dots.

Very simple indeed with no stamping at all.  Love the vibrancy of the colours of the inchies set off by the book page flowers.

Sid xx

Pin It

L'amour

Not blogged for so long, just haven't had the time since coming back from holidays.  Managed some time today and made this self standing collage........... how satisfying that I have crafted after nearly 3 weeks !!

I had previously made the background from recycled corrugated card which I had given a crackle finish with a gold base coat. The general colourway was purple, red and gold as you can see.  The piece measures 6 x 5.5 inches and the background technique is described in this blogpost.

I then used a Tim Holtz background stamp of distressed dots stamped with Versamark ink and heat embossed with violet pearlescent embossing powder.  A polymer stamp of a tag was stamped in similar fashion but this time heat embossed with mirror gold EP.  I then stamped a couple of flourishes in red Versamagic ink.

I used a lot of elements cut from 6 x 6 - 7gypsies papers (Camden & Lille).  All elements were edged in black archival ink to give them definition.

The Eiffel tower frame was made from a black card arch frame ( Stewart Gill) backed with paper from  the Lille papers and embellished with amber flatbacked gems adhered with Glossy Accents.  The letters were applied as rub-ons (Making Memories)

The remainder of the elements were stuck in place as shown.  The floral plate was stuck in place with a foam dot and pierced through with a heart-headed hatpin ( burying the sharp end in the corrugated background).

Some purple deco balls were added as shown with Glossy Accents.

The piece was then matted onto a piece of the Lille papers (they are double sided)  and the fold down stand (sizzix die cut out of cardboard) applied with glue to finish.

I like the colours of this piece and of course the bling too !

Sid xx

Pin It

Tattered Wreath

'Tis the Season' so here is a little offering that could be used as a seasonal piece or not. 

This wreath was made entirely from old bookpaper and Tim Holtz tattered florals and tattered leaves Sizzix diecuts.  The whole lot is mounted on an expanded polystyrene flat backed ring of 10 inch diameter.

The bookpaper (from an old electronic circuit book), was torn out in blocks of about 10 pages and passed through the Big Shot to cut out lots of both the leaves and the florals.

These were then separated and laid in cardboard boxes and sprayed with a variety of mica sprays, some from Glimmer Mists, Moonglow Mists and some home made sprays using mini-misters and Distress re-inkers with a little heirloom gold Perfect Pearls added.  The pictures don't do the shimmer justice as usual and the overall effect is muted but shimmery and a little antiqued.

Once spayed I allowed the mica mists to dry naturally and then assembled the various layers in a random way with drops of Glossy accents.  I made flowers of various sizes using 4, 3 & 2 layers.  There are even single flowers in places which were used as fillers.

The assembly was a labour of love and took a while and I attached using dressmakers pins threaded with a clear gold lined seed bead, a black cup sequin and a violet sequin.  I placed the flowers (some with a leaf added behind) randomly on the ring ensuring that the ring was completely covered and could not be seen at all.  The beauty of the poly ring is that you can easily reposition the florals if you need to until you are satisfied with the effect achieved.

I was going to add a Christmas sentiment but thought that it would be too much.  I added a length of wide red glitter ribbon cut in a chevron at one end added a red eyelet with the Crop-a-dile to allow it to be hung.  The ribbon was simply pinned into place with three pins from behind.

This wreath looks festive but also could be used anytime of the year with a different style of embellishment or ribbon hanger.  This creation has been entered into the Tim Holtz 'Tattered Florals Challenge'.

Sid xx

Pin It